Just Wanted to Make Sure
by Hickumu
Summary: After their fight against Team Masho, Kuwabara goes hunting. He finds himself wanting to seek out Touya, the one who had stood up for them against all the unfairness, and make sure the demon hadn't paid for his honor with his life. Kurama tags along, and they bring fast food as a peace offering. Talking and falling in love is interrupted by a familiar and unexpected arrival.
1. Kuwabara's Plan

"Damn it, Kuwabara! Do I have to break all your ribs all over again?!"

"Gimme a break, Urameshi! I'm fine! I could take on that whole team all over again by myself, if I wanted to! Thanks to Yukina, I'm the strongest person in here right now!"

"Yeah, great, you can make it to the bathroom without screaming! That doesn't mean you're going out!"

It was true that Kuwabara was far from healthy. In fact, if Yusuke had actually decided to try and stop him from leaving the rooms, he probably could have managed it with little difficulty, although _keeping_ Kuwabara there would of course have been another matter. However, the standoff at the door was broken, by the weary intervention of Kurama.

"Really, Yusuke," Kurama said, limping over to the other two boys. He was smiling, almost apologetically, and so even Yusuke knew what he was going to say even before he said it. "Don't you know that it's a good idea for invalids to have some fresh air, every once in a while?"

"How does that rank up with bed rest?" Yusuke demanded. "Because I'm thinking getting some damn _sleep_ tops. Believe me, I would know."

Kurama, perhaps due to simple exhaustion or perhaps to his normally easygoing personality, simply shook his head. He was still quite weak. Yukina had tried to heal his injuries from his fights, but it turned out that the remnants of the Deadly Vetch had interfered with her efforts to repair his body safely. Progress had been minimal and, in Yusuke's very definite opinion, Kurama had even less right to be asking to go wandering around the island.

But Kurama was not to be dissuaded, if the suddenly somber expression was any indication. Indeed, even Yusuke's determination couldn't hold up against the demon's counter.

"Remember, Yusuke, I spent a good deal of my time in a hospital before I met you. Not because I was sick or ill myself, of course, but my mother was. I saw the positive effect even an hour out in the hospital gardens could have on her."

This evidently threw Yusuke for a loop. He opened his mouth several times, obviously trying to come up with some sort of counter…before sighing in defeat.

"Damn it, what the hell am I supposed to say to that?" he demanded, a petulant whine in his voice. He stepped aside, however, and waved impatiently at the door. "All right, all right. Just don't be gone too long. It sounded like we pissed off a lot of demons by pulling off that win against Masho. I'd hate to damage our reputation even further by tearing up the island to look for you guys."

Both Kuwabara and Kurama knew that Yusuke would absolutely love to do so, under normal circumstances, but that his concern for their safety was just overriding his heightened violent tendencies in the wake of the brutal battle. It was touching, really, coming from Yusuke. Promising not to be gone too long, and to keep in touch if something happened, the two left the hotel room.

They said nothing to one another until they'd left the hotel for the outside world, however, probably both sharing the same irrational fear that Yusuke might overhear them. But, finally, stepping out under the stormy grey sky, Kuwabara turned to Kurama. "Listen, Kurama. I know what I said, but the thing is…I need to find someone, and I'm not really sure where to start. It'll probably take me a bit, so maybe you should…"

Kurama held up a hand, and smiled as Kuwabara obligingly paused in his well-meaning advice.

"I know," said the wounded demon. "In fact, that's partly why I offered. I think I have an idea of where we might find him."

He didn't need to say anything more.

It was a little while to get to the place Kurama had in mind, especially including one agreed-upon diversion to one of the little concession stands that dotted the arena. Even Kuwabara, who was at least in a state fit to move around, was panting for breath by the end. He knew when they'd arrived, however. In fact, he wondered how he'd never heard of this place being on the island before to begin with.

It was a tiny graveyard. For all the demons that had fought and died in the Dark Tournament so far, there were maybe two dozen graves dotting the slope leading up to the great mountain. They were graves, though – all were marked with some sort of sign or symbol stuck into the dirt, occasionally even a picture, or flowers, like he would normally expect on a grave back home. These markers were the only indication that anyone was buried here. There were no fences, no signs. As far as Kuwabara could tell, it had been chosen by some sort of unspoken consensus, and the dead had been buried where there was room.

It was also quite deserted, but for themselves, and one mourner kneeling at a grave with freshly turned dirt. As Kuwabara drew nearer, he saw Touya's hands clasped in front of him. The demon…the one that had so brutally injured Kurama before proving to be one of their only allies in the entire day's mess…really did seem to be praying.

They couldn't draw much nearer, though. Touya's eyes flew open as Kuwabara took another step. The demon whirled to ace them, going from a _seiza_ position to a fighting stance with commendable speed. All the same, neither Kuwabara nor Kurama missed the way his breath hitched with pain at the sudden movement, or the way he was slightly hunched over. Touya was in pain, just as they were.

He seemed surprised, at first, at the sight of them. Surprised, and then…resigned.

"If you have come to take your vengeance on me, I understand," said Touya. Despite this, both his arms remained bare of any sort of ice weaponry. Kuwabara almost fancied he heard Touya's voice shaking. It was the sort of tremor he knew well, that of false bravado at the end of the line. "All I ask is that we move away from this place before you do so. This is a sacred place…the ones buried here should know peace."

The sincerity and earnestness in his voice was…a little overwhelming. Kuwabara was still so used to demons as bloodthirsty, cruel, evil creatures. Indeed, it seemed that many of them were. But to see Touya here, earnestly pleading with them to respect the dead before taking their revenge on him…revenge for what? For the actions of his bastard of a leader, for his scumbag of a sponsor?

If he was perfectly honest with himself, Kuwabara couldn't even really blame Touya for how he'd fought against Kurama. He honestly believed that Kurama didn't, either. Touya had been upset over Gamma's death. The fact that he was here at Gamma's grave was proof of that. And he'd seen Kurama as a threat to be removed.

If someone had killed Yusuke like that, Kuwabara wasn't sure that he wouldn't have hurt them just the same. It was an ugly thought, but the Dark Tournament was an ugly place.

And yet, here he stood, ready to offer them their justice on behalf of a team that was either dead or had apparently abandoned him. For all the dirty tricks he'd been complicit in, Kuwabara couldn't help but think that there was really an honor to him, of a sort.

It was why he'd wanted so much to come and find him.

Kurama, as always, proved the eloquent one. "We aren't here for revenge. If we were, you aren't the one we would be seeking out. I suppose we only wanted to find you, Touya. We wanted to see how you were faring, after the fight."

Kuwabara admired Kurama's tact. If he'd been the one to speak first, he probably would have come right out with "we wanted to see if your leader had finished you off", or something to that effect. For all the awful people they'd faced so far, he'd never yet seen anyone turn so quickly and brutally on a teammate like Risho had. He'd been unable to shake the fear that Risho might have killed him, when there were no more witnesses, out of anger at his loss. Maybe Kurama had feared the same.

Touya, for his part, seemed genuinely surprised at their reasoning. He faltered from his fighting stance, eyes widening, and Kuwabara heard him gasp softly.

He recovered well, though, shifting easily from a fighting stance to an attention stance, like the soldier everyone kept telling Kuwabara he was.

"I can recover. I imagine I'm doing as well as either of you are, after…everything."

His voice broke, just a bit, on the last word.

"So…" said Kuwabara, cautiously, knowing that he wasn't always the best at saying the right thing. "Guess you don't have magic healing powers, huh?"

Yukina had, and Yukina and Touya were both ice demons. It seemed a logical enough question.

Judging by the fact that Touya's injuries from Kurama were covered by a clumsy bandage job, and he was still obviously suffering from the hit from Risho, it seemed unlikely. On the other hand, Touya hadn't even summoned up an ice sword when he thought Kurama and Kuwabara had come to kill him. Maybe he was just tired.

But Touya dispelled that thought with the puzzled look on his face. "Healing powers?" Smiling wryly, he shook his head. "I wish I did. I might have been able to do some good today."

"Well…" Damn it, what did he say to someone like Touya? Yusuke, and even Kurama and Hiei, they were easy to pull out of depression. Touya, though…well, circumstances seemed to have understandably made Touya even more grim.

He finally settled for the easy option, and held up the bag he'd picked up at the concession stand. It was full of greasy, unhealthy food, but it was food. "Look," he said, his tone just as somber as Touya's was. "I know how I always get, after a big fight. I mean, I could eat a cow, and I'm _used_ to getting my head kicked in. With the way those demons were freaking out, at the end, I kind of figured you'd gotten away for a bit. Kind of figured you hadn't eaten yet. Well…we brought food. Want some?"

Touya's reaction was simultaneously heartbreaking and, really, kind of cute. He stared at Kuwabara as though he'd suddenly started speaking a completely different language. The expression of utter, unguarded, genuine surprise spoke to Kuwabara, and he suddenly knew he'd made the right call.

The demon hastily recovered. He ducked his head in a vain attempt to hide the vulnerable moment, before turning that into another bow.

"It would be an honor. Thank you."

* * *

_So, this entire fic was one big experiment on my part._

_I know it's common fanon/canon to portray Jin and Touya as good friends, and it's a dynamic I quite enjoy writing. However, there is a lot we don't know about them or how they feel about one another, so I started thinking, what if they weren't really good friends before or during their fight with Team Urameshi? What if they just noticed one another, noticed that they both weren't entirely okay with how things were shaping up, but Touya being Touya he just wanted to stay focused on the mission. So he never actually approached Jin and Jin let Touya do his own thing, and so their fight with Team Urameshi was what actually galvanized them to take their first steps towards getting to know one another properly? It was kind of fun to do, and I hope I did a good job with it._

_I also wanted to explore the darker sides of their personalities, because I think they do have darker, more vicious sides. Maybe it's just me, but I think part of the reason Touya lost to Kurama was that he got too emotional, got too invested in enjoying Kurama's suffering as penance for killing Gama, and you really just have to look at the expression Jin turned on Bakken to see the truth there, that he's not all happy wind demon._

_This fic is also me working out some of my teenage and pre-teen issues about this show, namely all the issues I developed by being met with "eeew!" as a response when I would tell any fellow fans that Kuwabara was one of my favorite characters instead of Hiei or Kurama. This fic is meant to respond, in a way, to all the stupid fics I read in the prime of my fandom that referred to Kuwabara as the eminently imaginative "Kuwabaka". He's a genuinely good guy, he means well, and his scenes can still move me, and anyone who puts him down just because he's not attractive is shallow as fuck. I wanted to write a fic with Kuwabara doing good things and being there for people and protecting the downtrodden and generally being the awesome guy I wish more of the fandom would admit that he is._

_And, finally, this fic is my love for crack pairings. I really do think Kuwabara/Touya could work, if they'd had more interactions. They're similar on a lot of levels, and it kind of amused me to think that maybe Kuwabara had a "type", and that type just happened to be "ice demon". And so I also wanted to see if I could build a relationship between several established canon characters that had never actually interacted on screen. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be, but I had fun writing it, and I hope you all enjoy reading it. It clocked in at 7,000 words, so there will be more to come over the next couple of days._


	2. Touya's Doubts

They moved away from the little cemetery, then. Even if violence wasn't imminent, Kuwabara understood that it was an important place that he probably shouldn't get French fry grease all over. It was slow going, with Kurama and Touya in such poor shape, and Kuwabara glancing nervously at them every few steps so that he occasionally tripped and stumbled over scattered, loose stones.

At least he didn't drop the food, whenever he did. And at least neither of the two demons laughed at him for his clumsy concern. In fact, a few times when he looked back at him, Kuwabara thought he saw Touya looking concerned right back at him before the Ice Master looked down again.

Eventually, probably making a very sorry sight between them, they made it the short walk down the hill and a little ways into the woods. They each found seats, scattered around, close enough that any passersby couldn't help but think they were together but not much closer than that. Kuwabara didn't comment, however - he certainly understood – and instead just passed around the food.

He'd brought double helpings for everyone, because he knew how he got after a hard fight. And, yet again, he found himself watching Touya from a safe distance as the Ice Master pondered over his food.

It was almost immediately clear, even to Kuwabara, that he'd never seen anything like a cheeseburger before. The look on the small demon's face as he rummaged through the bag, an expression of honest-to-god puzzlement on a face that had so recently shown nothing but rage and a cold, calculated desire to kill, was really kind of adorable.

But then Touya looked back up at him, his strange, flat, glassy eyes intent on Kuwabara's face, and Kuwabara flinched at the intensity of the Ice Master's stare. To cover the fact that he'd been staring in turn, he hastily stared down into his own bag and stuffed some French fries into his mouth.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Touya pull out a couple of fries and eat them in turn.

"Do you really think we're trying to poison you?" Kurama asked lightly, his voice cutting across the strange scene. Kuwabara flinched again – had they really seemed that strange? And had Touya really think that?

Touya flinched, too, as though caught out in a lie. Although he didn't look at either of them, then, Kuwabara felt that Touya's attentions were still on him. And the demon seemed…almost apologetic.

"No," he admitted, after a pause. There was something in his voice, however, that made Kuwabara think that he had thought just that.

Which was really a little insulting – here they were, coming with the food as a peace offering, assuring Touya with all the sincerity in the world that they weren't going to make an attempt on his life, and he still couldn't just accept that? Really, if they'd wanted to kill him, Kurama could probably have kicked his scrawny ass back up on the hill…

"It's just a habit," Touya mumbled. Almost as though showing them that he could behave, like a penitent cat, he took a sip of his soda.

Any thoughts Kuwabara might have had about voicing his insult were silenced then and there.

"I understand," said Kurama. He placed a hand against his own chest, where the seeds of the plant that had spelled both their undoing rested still, and winced in apparent pain. "When all else fails, poison remains an insidious force."

"I've developed an immunity to most conventional breeds." Touya smiled, briefly, a flicker that was gone as fast as a bird. It was still there long enough for Kuwabara to see all the bitterness there. "The Deadly Vetch just isn't very conventional."

"So it's only me that you don't trust?" Kurama asked, still sounding nothing but innocently curious.

The question surprised Kuwabara, visibly. He hadn't even thought of it that way. He hadn't even really thought how it might matter. But Touya looked up, looked from Kurama to Kuwabara and then hastily back to Kurama, and then he nodded. "Yes. Just you. I'm sure you understand my hesitation."

"Of course." Kurama shot a smile at Kuwabara over Touya's head, as though inviting him to share in some private and not-really-funny-at-all joke. "That's why I wouldn't even have bothered to seek you out, if Kuwabara hadn't had the same intentions."

"Woah, hey, wait a second!" He had the feeling he was being left out of some kind of loop, some kind of demon-y type loop, and he didn't like it. "Time out!"

He looked to Kurama first. "Quit talking like that. Heck, I know you're on our side, but thinking about some of the stuff you could probably do to a guy's food would turn anybody's stomach."

Kurama inclined his head politely. "My apologies."

He looked to Touya next. "Look, I said we weren't gonna fight, and I meant it. You stuck up for us. The least we can do is feed you for that."

When Touya still looked uncertain, Kuwabara felt a lightbulb go off. "That's a promise!" he added. "A promise between men!"

And he knew it was a good lightbulb. Because he meant every word and, this time, he knew Touya saw that. He could tell by the look on the demon's face, the look of shock at the sudden declaration, and then the faint, slight, sad, but not-bitter-at-all smile.

"A promise," he repeated in a soft voice. And he sealed the deal by taking a bit of cheeseburger. Kuwabara beamed, eminently pleased with himself, especially when Kurama shot him a look of approval, before he returned to his own chowing down.

Touya was a demon with honor, after all, albeit a strange and possibly twisty kind. He'd seen that, when the demon had stood up for them against Risho. And here, in the Dark Tournament, where they'd been subject to so many dirty tricks and would probably be subject to so many more, even a strange and twisty kind of honor was something he wanted to protect.

They didn't talk very much, after that, to the point that Kuwabara didn't notice that Kurama had fallen asleep at first. It wasn't his preferred way to eat, but it was better than his two companions sniping at one another about death and poisoning.

And at least Touya's appetite seemed to kick in, finally free of the imminent fear of death. To the point that, after he'd polished off two helpings of fast food and Kuwabara saw him thoughtfully eyeing Kurama's abandoned bag, he got to his feet and went over to retrieve it for the other demon.

"Thank you," said Touya, seeming almost embarrassed to have been caught out in his attentions but grateful for the added food. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be eating this much."

"What, are you worried about getting fat?" Exuberant in the feeling of a job well done, Kuwabara actually patted Touya on the head. It was easy enough, especially with their difference in heights, especially with Kuwabara standing and Touya sitting. And the gesture surprised Touya too much for him to muster up the indignation Kuwabara felt reasonably certain he'd normally respond with to such a gesture. "It's food. It's there for eating. Pretty good stuff, huh?"

Touya nodded without hesitation, offering Kuwabara another smile. "I've…never had anything like this, before. Do humans eat like this all the time?"

"Of course we do!" Now that he had Touya's attention – and, if Kurama was to be believed, his trust – Kuwabara sat down beside him. "Well, not just this. Man, you just walk down any street in town, and you've got your sushi, your chicken, your doughnuts…and hey, you can pick up food like this down at the concession stand at the stadium! That's where Kurama and I found it."

"I didn't know that. Risho keeps…kept us all on something of a short leash."

"Oh, yeah?" Remembering the snide, sneering Earth Master, and remembering the blow that he'd heard from the other side of the arena, Kuwabara didn't doubt it. "Well, hey, he's not around to do that anymore, right?"

"That's right," said Touya, although he didn't look entirely convinced. It was true that Kuwabara hadn't really been in the mood to keep track of Risho at the end of the fight, and it was only then that he wondered with a rare stab of anxiety where the slimy bastard might have sneaked off to.

This time, it was Touya who distracted Kuwabara from his worries. After an internal war with himself that Kuwabara could see even, the demon said all in a rush, as though he were having to force out the words:

"You're only the second human I've ever spoken with."

"Woah…" It seemed an impossible idea. Kuwabara couldn't help but think of all the people in his life, then, that he saw every day without thinking about it. Even here, there was Yusuke, and Keiko, and Shizuru, and probably the Masked Fighter…even here, surrounded by demons, he had more than two humans in his life. "Uh…wow. Who was the first one, anyway?"

"Butajiri. Our…sponsor." He said the word with evident distaste. Kuwabara had never actually seen the man behind the masked fighters, but if he'd put someone like Risho in charge, he couldn't imagine that he'd been a good guy.

Touya actually smiled again, a thought seemingly striking him. "You're…better, than he was."

"Say what now?" Now there was something he didn't hear every day. Or…really ever. But Touya didn't seem to be kidding around. On the contrary, he looked perfectly sincere. And he also seemed amused – visibly amused, which was something Kuwabara hadn't seen on him before.

"You are," he insisted, lightly. "In fact, you… remind me of someone."

"Oh, yeah? Friend of yours'?"

Touya's expression faltered, at that, to the point that Kuwabara could have slapped himself. He tried to hide it by returning to his eating, but he didn't succeed in the slightest.

"So, uh…" Well, then, if he'd already stuck his foot in it, might as well go all the way. "What's gonna happen to you, now?"

Touya gave a little half shrug. "I hadn't thought that far ahead. Or…I suppose I had, but I can't be certain of what will happen, no matter what. Butajiri is still out there, as is Risho. I would like to stay and at least see the Tournament to its completion, but I'm not sure I'd live until the finals. I've made more than one enemy, today."

He spoke with a casual acceptance that, as far as Kuwabara could tell, wasn't feigned in the slightest. Even if he was afraid for his own life, it seemed that it had long ago become such an everpresent fear as to not affect him much anymore. Kuwabara could understand. After a while, you knew you were going to get punched in the face, and you learned to roll with it. No one was a good enough fighter to avoid getting a knuckle sandwich forever. Not even Yusuke, apparently.

And Touya certainly had made more than one enemy today. They all had.

"Listen, man…I really did wanna thank you for sticking up for us, back there. I mean, I know it probably got you a few cracked ribs and your boss hates your guts and all, but…we all saw it, and we all appreciated it. You've got honor, and that means something. I just didn't want to give him the chance to beat it out of you."

"I made my choice. And I don't regret it. I'm just…ashamed, that I needed to be reminded of it."

"Hey, man, no worries. Stumbling isn't not the problem. Getting back up is what makes you a real man!"

The demon smiled, an expression of such genuine peace and contentment that Kuwabara felt his heart skip a few beats. "If all humans are like you," he said. "I think my desire to stay here has only increased."

"Nah, man." Kuwabara tapped himself on the chest and allowed himself a proud smile. "Me? I'm one of a kind! But, uh…that's not to say that there aren't a lot of humans with honor. 'Cause there are. I mean, there are also a lot of guys without it, but I'm sure you're used to that."

Touya nodded, staring up at Kuwabara attentively and thoughtfully. He seemed genuinely fascinated, as well as happy. It was a heady feeling for Kuwabara, and they actually passed what really seemed to be a happy while with him relating the story of his conquest of the physics exam. Examinations and schools were apparently also a thing in Demon World, so he didn't have to explain either the idea of tests or of physics. Even if he had wound up having to explain cheeseburgers.

At the end, their food was all eaten, and even Kuwabara was feeling stuffed as a pig. He leaned back on one hand, sighing happily and patting his stomach. "Aw, man. At least they know how to feed a guy here on this freaky island."

"It was good. Thank you, Kuwabara."

Touya got gingerly to his feet, dusting himself off. Kuwabara stayed sitting long enough to bundle all their trash into a ball. It might have been an island infested with demons, but it was also a nice place when they weren't tearing it up or howling for blood, so he didn't plan on littering.

He had just turned away to go and awaken Kurama when Touya surprised him by speaking.

"…speak of the demon."


	3. Jin's Fears

"…speak of the demon."

And then Touya surprised him all over again by giving Kuwabara a hard shove, sending Kuwabara sprawling with an ice demon on top of him. He was about to demand an explanation, or even to fight back against what seemed very much like an attack, when an explanation quite literally dropped out of the sky, making the earth shake on impact and sending up a cloud of dust as it skidded along.

"Oof!" said the newcomer, straightening up and stretching. Out of the corner of his eye, still pressed into the dirt, Kuwabara could just make out their shape. Tall, muscular, red haired… "I really am still off my head! I could have knocked you clean to the other side of the forest if I was in top form!"

…strangely accented.

"Oh, yeah?!" Disregarding Touya, and the food, Kuwabara surged to his feet. "Well, I hit your boss halfway across the arena with busted ribs and a concussion! You wanna try again, 'cause I'm game!"

"My what where now?" Jin faced him, both arms locked behind his head rather than bunched into fists, seemingly perfectly at ease despite just dive bombing the two of them out of the sky. In fact, after a second's apparent thought, the Wind Master beamed. "Oho! So that was you that gave Risho the old heave-ho, was it? After getting your teeth kicked in by Ichigaki's lot? Didn't know what had happened, 'cept that we'd lost of course. On account of being facedown on the stadium steps, thanks to your mate Urameshi. "

"I assure you, it was just as startling to see if you happened to be conscious for it." Kuwabara turned to see that all the commotion had, predictably, awakened Kurama. However, the fox demon appeared to have decided that seventy five percent of participants being on their feet was quite sufficient, and was still leaning against the tree stump he'd passed out against a while ago.

"Are you insinuating something?" Kuwabara demanded. All right, he'd known it had been a long shot from the get-go, they'd all been screaming at him to just stay down, but that didn't mean he liked hearing it again, now that the fight was over and he'd won.

"I'm insinuating that it was a miraculous victory against truly staggering odds," said Kurama, inclining his head towards Kuwabara. "Nothing more. In any case…" Probably just as eager to change the subject as to get answers, Kurama turned, as much as he was able, back to face Jin. "What are you doing here?"

"Hm? Me?" Jin pointed just over Kuwabara's shoulder, suddenly scowling. "I'm the one who should be asking that question, and I should be asking him! The hell are you doing this far out, Touya? If I hadn't heard this idiot talking loud enough to make me eardrums burst, I might have given up on ya!"

"You were looking for me?" A look over his shoulder revealed that Touya looked as surprised as Kuwabara felt at this sudden outburst.

"Hey, buddy, I don't care if you gave Urameshi hell taking you out." Kuwabara then returned Jin's scowl, with interest. "If you've come here to give Touya a hard time about what happened, you're gonna have to go through me! And let me tell ya, that didn't work out so great for Team Ichigaki, and it worked out even worse for that slimy bastard Risho, too!"

Jin clearly hadn't been expecting that. He actually drew back a step, looking evidently startled…but only for a second. Then he grinned a grin that promised bruises and pain, bracing himself as though for a charge. "I tell you, I think I'm startin' to like the company Urameshi keeps as much as the boy himself! Thinkin' I might take you up on that – I can tell from here your ribs haven't healed up all the way, but you still wanna go a round with me? Now that takes a real fightin' spirit!"

"One round and then ten more! As many as it takes!"

"Jin, Kuwabara, please wait!" Touya started forward, holding out a hand, looking honestly scared. Kuwabara saw that even Kurama was trying to stand. He flung out an arm to hold the Ice Master back – he felt sure that, if it came to a fight for Touya's sake, he'd triumph against Jin just as he had against Risho.

"Stay back, guys! You've taken enough of a pounding for my sake – it's time that I returned the favor!"

"You don't understand! He won't hold back if he thinks you'll give him a good fight!" Touya gripped Kuwabara's arm fiercely, staring up at him with the fires of determination in his pale eyes. "It's okay! Jin is…"

"Comin' in for the kill!"

Kuwabara turned around just in time to see Jin soaring in towards them, grinning in anticipation. Kuwabara's attempt to meet him with a punch went completely wild, especially since Jin came in slightly to the right of where he'd expected. Touya's cry of alarm was his first and late notice that this was because he'd never been Jin's target – the Wind Shinobi had skimmed over Kuwabara's outstretched arms, grabbing Touya by the shoulders along the way to pick him up and fly off with him, laughing all the while. "Hey! Get down here, you big cheater!"

To his absolute amazement…Jin obeyed. After circling around him and the stunned Kurama to return to his original place at the end of the trail of torn up dirt, Jin lowered himself and Touya easily back down to earth. He even let Touya squirm into a position so that he could stand on his own two feet as they touched down.

Dizzied from the sudden, quick events of the last few seconds, it took Kuwabara a few seconds to process what had just happened. He could see that Touya looked just as stunned. Jin, for his part, was laughing like he was the only one who had gotten the joke.

Kurama, being Kurama, was the first to catch on to whatever that joke was, and it was enough to make him smile and sit down again. "Hey, what the hell? What's so funny?!" Kuwabara demanded, looking from his teammate to his adversary.

"You are, mate!" Jin said, calming down enough to speak with an effort and actually wiping tears of mirth from his eyes. "Do all humans take every little thing so seriously? Maybe you lot aren't so different from demons after all!" He patted the gobsmacked Touya on the shoulder. "Come on, Touya, you didn't think I was actually out for your head, did ya?"

Touya stumbled under the force, before staring pensively back up at the taller demon. "To be honest, Jin…I'm really not sure what to think."

"Aw, come on now!" Jin actually looked offended, his expression changing like lightning. "You know me, kickin' a guy when he's down is no fun at all!"

"Then why were you looking for me?"

"Just because it's no fun for me doesn't mean everyone's that nice! I mean, just look at Bakken! Or, hell, Risho! A lot of people lost a wad on us, mate." For a second, Jin actually looked…well, Kuwabara could only call it "concerned". This impression was only reinforced when Jin added, in a voice of something like distress. "I wanted to make sure they didn't try and take it out of your hide. I mean, you gave the fox a right thrashing, but I saw how he returned the favor."

"Yeah, and Risho didn't help any," Kuwabara added, remembering that if Jin had been unconscious all through his fight, he probably hadn't seen the brief confrontation between Touya and Risho. "Touya tried to stand up to him, and your boss knocked him cold."

"Th-That's none of your concern!" Touya stammered, looking flustered and upset. Jin, however, Jin smiled that pain-promising smile again, his body language shifting to take on an edge that was somehow…darker. And this time, Kuwabara felt sure that he wasn't kidding.

"Oh, did he do that, now? Well, I wish I could say I was the teeny tiniest bit surprised about that."

"Jin…" Touya tried to protest, looking actually, genuinely uncomfortable. Kuwabara saw it, and so did Jin. The dark expression passed like a shadow over a pond – he patted Touya on the shoulder again, companionably.

"Ah, no worries, pal. I've found ya, and it doesn't seem like anyone else has got their mitts on you besides these two."

"Yeah, that's right…h-hey!" Kuwabara scowled at Jin once more, as another piece fell into place. "If you were just worried about making sure he was okay, what the hell was that dive bomb attack about?"

"The hell would you think, if you were me? Seein' your teammate sittin' with two of the enemy, I thought you might have caught him for some payback!" Jin retorted hotly.

"I think you'll be reassured to know that Touya thought just the same, at first," said Kurama, attempting to soothe the charged emotions crackling between demon and human. "I assure you, Jin. While he was smart to be on his guard, our intentions were honorable from the start. In fact, they were the same as yours', with the addition of seeing him fed for his support."

"No kiddin'?" Jin looked to Touya for confirmation, and when the other demon nodded in embarrassment, the Wind Shinobi let out a boisterous laugh. "Maybe I should have gotten here sooner, then! Ah, well…" He gave Kuwabara and Kurama both a nod, friendly once more. "All's well that ends well, eh? Nobody got hurt more than they started off. Although, heh, Kuwabara was it? Getting' a look at the way your energy spiked right then when I came down, maybe you really could have given me a fight! Hey, Touya…" Leaning in close to his teammate, Jin whispered in a voice that somehow completely failed to be at all quiet. "I think this one might be sweet on ya."

Touya had already been blushing at all the attention he'd been receiving, at having so many people concerned for him, at having his additional defeat revealed. But at this, his pale face colored even more deeply, and Kuwabara could feel from the heat in his own cheeks that he wasn't the only one. Jin only laughed at their expressions, before giving Kuwabara a wink over the top of Touya's head. Touya, for his part, darted a nervous look up at Kuwabara's face before hastily looking away, a second before Kuwabara himself did.

* * *

Apologies for the somewhat awkward chapter break, but it was really the best one I could find that would involve a final chapter of less than 1,000 words. And, really, for a 7k fic, leaving the final chapter at 1k just felt cheap.

Really, though, this does mark the transition fairly well into the last chapter, if only because next chapter opens with Kurama changing the subject. The final chapter just has to do with the situation wrapping up and everyone touching base and making plans. I hope it satisfies!


	4. Yusuke's Annoyance

"Well, Jin," said Kurama, sounding unfairly amused in his own right as his voice cut across the awkward silence. "Now that you've found him, what did you plan to do?"

"Oh! Right!" Jin turned to Touya, looking pleased with himself and so excited that his ears went pointy. "Listen, mate, I met these two blokes after the match – little guy named Rinku and a mountain of a scrapper named Chu. They wound up on the wrong side of Urameshi two matches before we did. But they've still got their room, and they mean to see how it all ends. They've even got room for two more in their midst – thought you and I might take up with 'em for a bit. What do you say?"

Kuwabara exchanged his own look with Kurama, and saw that the fox actually looked relieved. He couldn't say that he blamed him, either. While he still had his grudges against Rinku for the way the little brat had won their fight, he hadn't seemed the bloodthirsty type, and Yusuke and Chu had obviously taken to each other. If he was forced to pick two demons he would trust not to stab him in the back…all right, he'd actually choose the former team Ichigaki, but Rinku and Chu would be a close second.

Then he looked back at Touya, to see how he was taking the news, only to find that Touya was looking back at him. Their gazes met, and Touya smiled, perhaps taking Kuwabara's reassurance for his own.

"That sounds perfect, Jin." He stepped back enough to bow to his comrade. "Thank you. Although…" He drew back a bit when Jin made to put an arm around him. "I would rather walk, if it's all the same to you."

"Aw, come on! That'll take forever and a day! They're halfway across the island from us, you know!"

"I think we'll have a good deal to talk about on the way."

Jin sighed, looking put upon, but then he mustered up a good natured smile. "A chance to hear you do some talking? Eh, I'd walk for a chance at that."

Kuwabara knew then that Touya would be okay. Jin and Touya weren't entirely as dissimilar as they seemed. Besides, he felt confident in his assessment that Jin really did want to help. Kurama seemed to think the same, and Touya seemed to be slowly slipping back at ease.

Even if he'd been all ready and raring to take the Ice Shinobi under his wing, the situation as it stood now was enough for him.

It was going to be a bummer to part ways with Touya. He'd thought they were really getting along, and Touya seemed to have felt the same, and okay, maybe, at some point he'd found himself getting just a bit attracted to the ice demon. After all, Touya was shy but curious, honorable and tenacious, reserved but not without a spark of life and intensely loyal. And, all right, he was one of the prettiest boys Kuwabara had ever laid eyes on.

But he had his own team to look after, and the road ahead was still a long one. It probably wouldn't be safe for Touya anywhere, but it would probably be a bit less dangerous with three demons out of the fight to watch his back.

"Well, then, Kurama." Touya bowed to the fox demon with far less reservation and wariness than he'd shown earlier. "And…Kuwabara." Instead of bowing, Touya crossed the distance between them that Jin had made. And, after a second's hesitation, the last dregs of uncertainty, he held out a hand. "You've both been very kind to me. Far more than I deserved. I hope to have the chance to repay you, one day."

"Ah, don't sweat it." But Kuwabara took Touya's hand firmly in his to shake. He felt then that they were sealing a contract between them, some sort of oath, and even if he didn't know just what it was, it was a nice feeling. "We were the ones paying you back, remember? We're square. But, hey, take care of yourself out there. Things are probably only gonna get even weirder from here."

"I have no doubt. And so…I hope you'll do the same." Touya smiled without any hint of sadness, regret, or bitterness. It was a beautiful sight to see, even as he released Kuwabara's hand, and stepped away. "Until we meet again."

Kuwabara couldn't help but beam in reply. "Count on it!"

He and Kurama stayed, waving, as Jin and Touya walked off. The other two demons looked back at them for a while, waving back, until the distance became too great, and the foliage cover too dense, and they were forced to turn away or walk headlong into a tree. Then the two Shinobi were forced to step around one, and were gone from sight.

"Well," said Kurama, after that. He looked at Kuwabara and smiled. "That was certainly an interesting diversion. But I'm glad we took it."

"You and me both." Now that he was left once again with only one demon to focus on, Kuwabara could see the edges of exhaustion creeping back into Kurama's bearing. "Hey, come on. What's say we head back to the room? Urameshi's probably torn half the place apart looking for us by now."

"That sounds like a fine idea." When Kuwabara gallantly offered an arm, Kurama took it and leaned against him with only a chuckle and no difficulties about his honor or his pride or anything stupid like that. "Lead the way. I think this is about the point I would have insisted mother take a rest, so I suppose I can't complain."

Yusuke had not, in fact, demolished anything while they'd been gone. He was still incredibly pissed off, though, especially when Kuwabara refused to tell them what had kept them out so long. The fact that Kuwabara didn't stop smiling all through his tirade only added fuel to the fire, but Kuwabara didn't care in the slightest. He knew that he'd done a good thing today, and no one could take that away from him. Yusuke would cool off, and Touya would be all right, and his team would kick Toguro's ass and walk away winners. What more could he ask than that?

A long way away, still in the forest but nearing an edge, two demons walked together. One stared at the sky, one stared at the ground, but the air was filled with the sound of their voices talking. It was still a ways to go to get to their new accommodations, but they had a lot to say to one another along the way. Questions to ask, matters to discuss, things to learn about their teammate that they'd never known before…and, in the end, all Jin and Touya could do was wish that they'd taken the plunge to talk like this long ago. At the least, they had their whole lives now to catch up.

* * *

And that's a wrap! I hope you enjoyed reading my little experiment. I have a few more ideas for other fics that might play off of this one or tie into similar ideas or pairings, but, you know how it is. That doesn't mean a thing until I actually get them written, if I ever do. Keep your fingers crossed for me, my fair readers!


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